


Heightened Interests

by Lilogirl



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Annie is protective, Asperger Syndrome, Britta isn't perfect but she's trying her best, Canon Autistic Character, Gen, Getting Together, Jeff is a secret nerd, Legend of Zelda References, M/M, Shirley doesn't get Abed but she's here for him, Special Interests, Troy is a sweetheart, Wizard of Oz References, abed is a info-dumping icon, meltdowns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:34:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29931447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilogirl/pseuds/Lilogirl
Summary: “I mean, it comes in handy when I feel so full of movie trivia that I might burst, because then I can write instead of annoying anyone with my rambling.”A series of vignettes about Abed, special interests, his friends, and someone who turns out to be something more.
Relationships: Abed Nadir & Annie Edison, Abed Nadir & Britta Perry, Abed Nadir & Jeff Winger, Abed Nadir & the Study Group, Troy Barnes & Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir, abed nadir & Shirley bennett
Comments: 20
Kudos: 53





	1. Troy

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I'm still alive.

Abed sits hunched over his computer, the clicking and clacking of the keys akin to the sound of raindrops gently falling on a sidewalk. Abed's face is drawn closer and closer to the screen, and it’s only when Troy approaches him that he turns away (most likely doing his eyes a favor).

“Sup man, whatcha workin’ on?”

Abed raises his pointer finger.

“Just an essay. It’s for film class, we had to pick a movie and explain the thematic and narrative significance of its use of color.”

“Sweet.” Troy says with a thumbs up. “What movie did ya pick?”

“Wizard of Oz.” Abed replies, not missing a beat. “I’m excited to write about how the creators made the scenes in Kansas beige-colored to contrast them with the fantastical nature of the scenes in Oz.”

“Awesome! How much do you have so far?”

“Eh, it’s not much, just ten pages.”

“Aw that’s-wait, you wrote _ten pages_!? It’s been, like 40 minutes.”

Abed shrugs.

“I hate to be so cliche, but time flies when you're having fun.”

Troy smiles, but his eyes soon squint in confusion.

“Hey, Abed, how do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Y’know...write all this stuff so quickly? Doesn’t it get boring after a while?”

Abed tilts his head. Even Troy can be confusing sometimes.

“No, not really. Sorry to brag, but most of the time it’s like I can just write about movies for hours without stopping, and before I know it, i’m practically finished with the whole thing.”

Abed looks down, his eyes holding a tinge of sadness.

“I mean, it comes in handy when I feel so full of movie trivia that I might burst, because then I can write instead of annoying anyone with my rambling.”

Troy’s lips part slightly, and his look becomes pained.

“Abed, you don’t have to keep yourself from talking about that kinda stuff all the time, y’know?”

Abed looks to the side.

“Sorry, it’s just that my dad never wanted to hear me talk about tv, and other people can get annoyed with it too.”

Troy’s feeling more than a little downhearted, but he manages to muster a smile.

“Y’know, you can always tell me these kinds of things. I won’t get annoyed.”

“You sure?” Abed inquires, slightly befuddled. He knows Troy’s being sincere, but all the same…

“Absolutely.” Troy affirms.

A grin slowly creeps onto Abed’s face, and he begins to flap his hands.

“Okay, so, the Wizard of Oz was based on the early 1900’s children's book of the same name, and was released by MGM studios in 1939.”

He continues to talk and flap, looking like a bird about to leave its nest.

Troy couldn’t be happier.


	2. Annie

“Abed, please, _Abed,_ I’m sorry we all got so loud, oh, Abed, I don’t know how to help you, _I_ _don’t know what you need._ ”

It all starts in the study room, with everyone except Troy. He had gotten sick over the weekend, and had decided it would be for the better if he just stayed home that day.

Being without his best friend already isn’t putting Abed in the best state of mind, even if Annie had agreed to keep him company. It doesn’t exactly help when Jeff and Pierce start yelling at each other from across the table, (Pierce had either been questioning Jeff’s intelligence or sexuality, when Abed looks back on this moment in the future he’ll have a hard time remembering), and it’s not long until Abed’s wishing for nothing more than some kind of magic remote to put the whole thing on pause. 

Pretty soon Shirley begins to scold both Jeff and Pierce the way only a mother of three boys can, and Abed feels like he might collapse under all the auditory pressure. 

Britta and Annie interject with their own reprimands, and it’s only then that a wail starts to slither its way up Abed’s throat and out his mouth.

Everyone stops their shouting and turns to Abed, and are greeted with the sight of their friend rocking back and forth in his chair, hands clutching his ears and mouth agape. 

“Abed!” Annie exclaims with a gasp. She sprints over to his chair, almost bumping into the corner of the table in her haste.

“Oh Abed, please don’t be scared, I’m sorry we were shouting so loud-”

“I’m not.” Pierce mumbles under his breath. Jeff glares at the old man and mutters a “Jesus Christ.” 

Annie furrows her brow in disgust. 

“Pierce, can’t you see Abed needs help right now?” Annie shoots back, and she soon regrets raising her voice, because it’s at that moment that Abed starts banging his fists on the table, his voice more strained than ever. 

Annie tries to calm him, speaking whatever sweet and comforting words come to mind. Everyone else (minus Pierce) stares worryingly. Just when she thinks all hope is lost, Abed’s t-shirt catches her eye.

Abed’s light green shirt has the image of Inspector Spacetime and Constable Reggie rendered in a minimalist style, both of them aiding each other in some kind of interdimensional space battle.

Annie gets an idea.

Her somewhat shaking hands pull her phone out of her pocket. Once she enters the passcode and accesses Google, she types in “Inspector Spacetime Bloopers.” 

“Annie, what are you doing?” Shirley asks, trying to keep her composure.

“Just trust me, alright?” Annie whispers.

She taps on the thumbnail for a video titled “Inspector Spacetime Season 8 Bloopers.” 

“Okay, Abed, I found something you might like. It’s got the guys who played the Inspector and the Constable joking around and messing up their lines, I thought it might make you laugh.”

Abed’s wails begin to quiet down, and he stops banging his fists so he can hold Annie’s phone once she hands it over to him. 

Abed watches as the actors on the tiny screen goof off and do their pratfalls. _Something_ akin to calmness begins to grow within him. 

Slowly, he stops rocking back and forth, and his breathing evens out, becoming less ragged and pained by the second. 

A full minute passes with Abed staring at the phone and the rest of the study group breathing sighs of relief before Annie chooses to break the silence. 

“How are you feeling now?” Annie asks softly. 

Abed squints his eyes, his brain going through the motions.

“Better. Not great, but better.”

Annie smiles, her eyes softening. 

“I’m glad.” 

  
  



	3. Jeff

Abed’s on his way to the third class of the day when Jeff spots him.

“Hey, Abed, got a minute to spare?”

Abed turns around.

“Okay Jeff, but don’t keep me here too long. Film class starts in a few minutes and I don’t want to miss the lecture on the  _ Police Academy  _ movies.”

“Sure, whatever.”

Jeff pauses to yawn, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb.

“Sorry, I’m just...look, what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry for getting so loud during my argument with Pierce yesterday.”

He interrupts himself with a chuckle. 

“I mean, that’s not to say he didn’t deserve to get knocked down a few pegs...but still, I could have been quieter.”

“It’s alright, you didn’t mean it.”

He tilts his head thoughtfully. 

“Thanks anyway.”

Jeff nods, and then finds himself gesturing towards Abed’s hoodie.

“Hey, uh, what's that you got pinned on?” 

Abed looks down and begins to fiddle with the pin that’s attached to the green cloth.

“Oh, this? It’s an enamel of the Triforce from Legend of Zelda.” Abed explains, touching all three of the triangles. 

“The three pieces all represent something different. There’s the Triforce of Courage, which is for Link, the Triforce of Wisdom, which is for Zelda-”

Abed suddenly stops himself. 

“Wait, why are you asking? You’ve never wanted to enquire about my interests before. Frankly, it feels a little out of character to start now.”

Jeff starts to roll his eyes, but stops himself.

“Look, after the incident in the study room yesterday, I’ve been trying to think of ways to better understand you. I know I’m...not exactly the perfect friend...to a _lot_ of people.” 

Jeff rubs the back of his neck.

“The point is, I feel like if I try starting conversations with you about your interests, I could learn to be better with you.” 

Jeff winces at what he’s about to say next, clearly embarrassed. 

“Also, that video game stuff you’re into is... _ kinda _ interesting?” 

Jeff looks as if he’s just confessed to murder. 

“I wouldn’t mind if you told me how people make those things...as long as I’m not too busy at the moment.” 

Abed nods. 

“Cool. Cool cool cool...y’know, Troy plays video games too, if I told him you like them, we could all-”

“Don’t push your luck.” Jeff interrupts flatly.

“Okay. Your loss.”

Jeff smiles, and even though it has more than a suggestion of cynicism, he really  _ does _ think he’s made some progress. 

He hopes Abed feels the same way. 


	4. Britta

“Hey Abed, how’s it goin’?” Britta says with a playful yet awkward grin as she strolls over to her pensive and seated friend. 

“Pretty good. You might wanna lower your voice a bit though.” Abed whispers, pointing to the “Use Your Indoor Voice” poster in the Greendale library.

“Okay, whatever you need.” Britta says in her “I’m Abed’s new mom” voice.

Abed sighs, and Britta catches her mistake.

“Sorry Abed, I promise I’m _trying_ to stop babying you.”

“Cool.” Abed replies. 

He turns his eyes back to the book propped up in front of him on the table.

He fiddles with the tangle toy in his right hand, looks up every few seconds, and something tells Britta there’s still some lingering awkwardness in the air. 

She glances at the cover of the book he’s reading, and she’s glad that the title provides an opportunity for conversation. 

“ _History of American Comics_ huh? That sounds pretty interesting, what’s your favorite part so far?”

“Probably the two-page-spread for the DC timeline, it can be easy to forget that the comics go back as far as 1938.” Abed responds, his fingers curling his tangle around his knuckles. 

“That’s cool! Although I gotta say, how is it that a teenage boy like Peter Parker never lets any of that power go to his head?” she says with a laugh. 

Abed purses his lips to keep in the ten-minute rant that’s currently forming in his mind. 

“oh, wait, that’s...yeah, that’s the other one, isn’t it?” Britta mutters, her face softly flushed from embarrassment.

“It’s okay...I appreciate you’re trying to strengthen our bond. Jeff’s been doing something similar.”

Britta smirks. 

“Oh, so he _does_ have a heart after all!” She says with a laugh before Abed points to the “indoor voices” poster again. 

“Oh, sorry.” Britta whispers, and this time her apology for being loud _doesn’t_ have the motherly condensation that always rubs Abed the wrong way. 

Abed smiles to himself.

“You’re pretty cool, Britta.” 

A look of surprise sparks onto Britta’s face, before she covers it up with a smile.

“Am I cool times three?” she giggles. 

Abed nods.

“Yes. And we don’t tell you that enough.”


	5. Shirley

Shirley’s sitting at the study group's usual spot in the cafeteria when she taps him on the shoulder, wanting some relief from the squabble she just had with Pierce. 

“Hey, Abed, been working on any new movies lately?” 

Abed turns to Shirley at an almost startling speed. 

“Yep, I’ve got the concept all laid out. You know that film I made last year?”

Shirley raises an eyebrow.

“You mean the one where you dressed up like a Las Vegas magician's fever dream?” she says in a considerably deeper voice. 

“The very same. I was thinking back to how that project went down, and I can’t help but regret certain narrative decisions I made. In trying to be the next Charlie Kaufman, I made something about as deep as a Micheal Bay movie, but, I don’t think the idea of a Jesus-based project was a total waste.” 

Shirley smiles nervously.

“Abed, sweetie, where are you going with this?”

“Well, I thought that introducing some new universes into the story of Jesus could be interesting. Here’s what I’ve got in mind”

Abed takes a deep breath.

“The film opens on Jesus preaching to some citizens of Nazareth, retelling the story of The Good Samaritan.”

“Ooh, that’s nice!” Shirley chirps. 

“Wait, I’m not finished yet. Just as Jesus is about to end his story...a monster, not unlike Godzilla, appears out of nowhere, stomping houses into dust!” Abed cuts in, his voice small yet intense.

“Abed, are you-”

“I know, you’re probably wondering how Jesus is gonna get out of this one, but don’t worry-” 

Shirley shakes her head.

“Abed, that’s not what I meant, you can’t…” 

Shirley softly exhales. 

”Sorry, you can...go on.” Shirley replies, her words getting quieter as she speaks.

Her friend cocks his head.

“Wait, something’s not right. Doesn’t your status as group-mom and devout Christian mean you should be scolding me right about now?” Abed asks with quiet confusion. 

Shirley sighs.

“Well, Abed, I’ve been starting to realize that you and me...and the rest of the group for that matter, have...different values.”

Abed can’t believe what he’s hearing. 

“I...don’t know how I should treat you and the others when you disagree with me, but I’m trying my best to learn.”

She smiles.

“You can make your movie Abed, even if I might not agree with it. We’re pretty different people, but...I can see this is important to you.”

A small grin forms on Abed’s face (once he’s able to shake the shock).

“Thanks Shirley...y’know, if you want, you could play a disciple in my movie. Would you be okay with wearing a beard? You did wear one for my Pulp Fiction birthday last year.” 

“I don’t know...but I’ll think about it.” Shirley responds.

Abed nods. 

“I’m proud of you.”


End file.
